Electrical cords and wires submerged in pools of water under a home at Gracious Estates has resident worried about safety; costs another concern.|
Vicki Hearn, a Gracious Estates resident who was featured in a story last week about water bill concerns at the trailer park, notified NorthIowaToday.com about a safety concern at her son’s home this evening due to a leaking water meter.
Vicki showed NorthIowaToday.com the leaking water meter at the trailer where her son Kris lives, lot #24. Water was leaking from the bottom of the meter and water was pooling under the trailer.
So much water had been leaking over the last few days that an electrical breaker was shorted out that powers a heater that prevents water pipes from freezing. Electrical wires from the heater to the breaker were submerged in the water pooling under the trailer. Kris went the last two days without running water in his trailer due to frozen pipes, and he was forced to turn the heat way up in his trailer to thaw them out. Water service seemed to be restored this Friday night.
Under the trailer, chronicled in the video that accompanies this story, a large pool of water had collected under the trailer. The pool is about 15-20 feet long and about 4 -5 feet wide and could be 3-4 inches deep in places. The stream of water trickling from the water meter was approximately half the output of a bathroom faucet.
Vicki told NorthIowaToday.com that she called Gracious Estates manger Melissa Noland, who then called an on-site repairman to come out and take a look at the meter. Gracious Estates owner Ken Brenton could not be reached for comment.
After crawling under the trailer and into the pool of water and a tangle of electrical extension cords and wires, the repairman determined it was the water meter leaking and not the water riser, and therefor the owner, Kris Hearn, would not be responsible to pay for the repairs. The repairman stated he would have to install a new meter. He also stated he would ask Noland to adjust Kris’ water bill to the base rate of $30 for the month due to the faulty water meter.
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